Returning Shareholders, friends, and family of Oxbow who are familiar with our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program may have noticed some adjustments this year, including a new name! In an effort to more accurately reflect our program structure and offerings, we have changed the name from CSA to Farm Share. We have also aligned the pick-up style for all 3 seasons.

Our new improvements: 

Name Change

Farm Shares are similar to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and represent an investment in a farm at the beginning of the growing season. This investment traditionally provides income for farms to pay for seed, equipment, employees, and other inputs during winter when sales and production are low. In return, Shareholders receive a variety of the freshest farm offerings. The main difference between Oxbow’s Farm Share and a traditional CSA is that our Agriculture team is supported by the community as well as other sources of funding including revenue from the sales, major gifts, grants, and public donations.

Oxbow’s Farm Shareholders’ investment helps support the growth of our Agriculture team’s work towards responsible soil and land stewardship. Farm Shares provide an opportunity to participate in local food systems in a more direct way, experiencing the ebbs and flows of our region’s seasons. 

Bring your own bag 

Instead of a “market style” Main Season Farm Share, we are switching to a “bring your own bag/box style”. This pick up style enables us to reduce waste, mitigate complex record-keeping and harvest schedules, and to improve everyone’s experience at the Farm Stand. This year Farm Shares come with a reusable tote bag and Shareholders are encouraged to bring the bag each week to collect their beautifully curated combination of items.

U-Pick 

In 2022 U-pick was an exclusive perk of being a Shareholder. This year we are making the farm more accessible so more people can experience a deeper connection with their food and where it comes from. In 2023, U-Pick is open to the general public during growing season! Items are pay-by-the-pound/stem. But Main Season Shareholders enjoy free unlimited U-Pick flowers for personal use only (If you need to harvest bulk quantities of herbs or flowers for commercial use or large events, please contact our agriculture team at farmers@oxbow.org.)

We hope that you join us in the bounty that is to come this year. Join our Farm Share for a season of delicious eating. Don’t hesitate to reach out to farmers@oxbow.org if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you at the farm!